Halloween Pumpkin Carving Tips

There’s no great secret to pumpkin carving. With a few simple preparations and the right tools, you can create fantastic faces with a range of scowling, howling expressions. And when you’re done, don’t forget to save the seeds for a delicious, nutritious snack.

Our Top Pumpkin Carving Tips:

Choose a pumpkin that best suits the face you intend to carve into it - tall
and skinny for a scary Frankenstein, short and fat for a friendly fellow.
Remember: there's no need to find a flawless pumpkin. Bumps, growths and
discolouration can make great noses, warts and freckles.

Prepare the pumpkin by cutting a circle around the top of the pumpkin to
create a lid. Then, scrape out the strands and seeds inside the pumpkin.
Select the paper stencil you wish to use and cut off excess paper. Secure to
the pumpkin with masking tape. Use a push pin to make tiny holes along the
outline of the stencil. When finished, remove the stencil and rub flour or
cornstarch over the pattern to make it more visible. Then, use a pumpkin
carving tool to carefully cut the pattern out of the pumpkin.

To make your pumpkin last, wash the insides with a mild bleach solution (to
slow decay) and coat the cut edges with petroleum jelly.